May 30, 2010 - John 1:29 "Sin"

I've said the prayers many times. The Gloria says, "Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us..." John 1:29, John the baptist: "The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, 'Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

Sin, singular. Not Sins, plural.

So, that's been rolling around in my head all day. I tend to think of sins, plural. Big sins, small sins, little "white lies." Murder and molestation, big sins. Driving over the speed limit, small sins. Telling someone their new dress looks nice when it really makes them look like a Polish sausage, maybe a medium sin. But still sins, plural. Twelve-step programs call them "character defects" sometimes. Personality quirks. Errors in judgement. Wrong-doing. Mistakes. Bad-tempered. Crooked. Sins, plural.

So what is sin...singular? Perhaps there is really only one sin. In all the world, maybe there is really only one. Only one that counts. Perhaps the one Sin is the refusal to acknowledge God as Sovereign Lord. Once God is acknowledged as Lord of all...well, all the other stuff doesn't just disappear, though, does it? One can acknowledge God as Lord and Savior, and still drive over the speed limit and cheat on their income taxes.

Lamb of God, You take away the Sin of the world. Singular. Obviously, the sins of the world are still with us. Even with those who love God, love Christ, we remain sinful creatures, prone to fall into sin as soon as the confession of sin is out of our mouths. Our minds wander during prayer, we definitely do not love our neighbors as ourselves. So what we call sin has not been taken away at all. So, exactly what "sin" (singular) has Christ taken away?

If the Sin that Christ took away is not what we ordinarily think of as sin, then what was it? And...and perhaps this is even bigger...He took away not just my sin and your sin, but the Sin of the whole world! He took away the sin of the people who love Him, and the sin of the people who never heard of Him. It says "the world," right?

Roman Catholics have this notion of "original sin." Now, I'm not Catholic, so I may get this wrong, but I think what this means is that because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, the rest of mankind is cursed with a sin nature. Well, we've still got it, so that can't be it either.

What Sin, exactly, did Christ take away? OR...maybe taking away the Sin was not a one-shot deal. Woah...hang on to your horses now...I speak not the blasphemy. Hear me out. Christ's sacrifice on the cross was one perfect sacrifice, totally sufficient for our salvation. But because man's sinful nature is still with us, perhaps every time we acknowledge our sin and turn away from it, Christ takes it away...again. And again... And again. Because we are sinful creatures, and fall into sin again and again and again (come on, you know its true...), Christ is there to pick us up, dust us off, and forgive us again. He takes away our Sin again.

Paul, in another passage, says that even though Christ continues to forgive us our shortcomings (or sins, plural), that does not give us leave to just keep sinning and sinning and sinning, because "Oh well, Christ will forgive me anyway." By no means! When we realize the ultimate sacrifice behind the forgiveness, we should approach His forgiveness with truly thankful hearts, grateful and humble and free.

Lamb of God, You take away the Sin of the world. Have mercy on us. Have mercy on us who try our best to understand Your Word, even if we get it wrong. Have mercy on us when we just don't understand. Have mercy on us who continue to fall into sin, despite our best intentions. Have mercy on us when we stumble and fall and despair that we'll ever "get it right." Have mercy on us when we do things we know we ought not to do, and don't do the things we know we should do. Have mercy on us when we forget You. Have mercy, Lord, have mercy. Take away my sins, plural, Lord, and my Sin, singular. Have mercy.

May 24, 2010 - Matthew 12:36,37

Jesus says: "I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Ouch. That's harsh. How many careless words do I utter just in the course of a single day? Horsing around at work, chatting with friends, voicing my oh-so-important opinion on the state of the world, or politics, or the latest gossip about some Hollywood type or other. If all I ever spoke were words of wisdom and truth and encouragement...well, I guess I'd be quiet most of the time.

And maybe that's the point. I suppose God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason - maybe so that we could listen twice as much as we talk!

What would it be like, just for today, if I watched every word that came out of my mouth? What if I made sure that the only things I said were words of truth, and love, and encouragement? What is all that I said honored God in some way? How would my day go?

Maybe I'll try and find out. Though, I suspect, it's a lot easier said than done. How about you?

May 2, 2010 - Genesis 2:18, 21-23

"Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner. The Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man's ribs, and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God formed a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and brought her to him. The man siad, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, for she was taken out of Man.'"

Woman was made of a rib out of the side of Man.
She was not created from Man's head to rule over him,
nor from his feet to be trampled upon by him.
Indeed, woman was taken from his side, to be equal with him;
under his arm, to be protected;
and near his heart, to be loved.

God ordained that man (and woman) should have a helper in their lives. I figure He knew what He was doing. It's not easy to be alone, especially when one has shared one's life with someone else for many years.

All throughout the Bible, God talks about our interconnectedness with others. We are not meant to be hermits. We are meant for relationship with one another. We are meant to share our lives, share our stories, share our every days with someone else.

I have heard other widows say, "I don't NEED a man in my life." I get that. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you. But there is something missing. Perhaps its a sense of "belonging." A sense that one matters to another human being in a way that is special.

How does it start? With friendship. A person can never have too many friends, I figure. And if that friendship leads somewhere...well, that's in God's hands. All I know is that I'm open to whatever friends God wants to put in my life.

All I ask, Lord, is that You lead me, guide me, take my hand and protect me. Let me be a friend to those who need a friend. Let me be open to whatever You have planned for me at this stage of my life. In all my dealings with people, be they family, friends, co-workers or total strangers, Lord, let me be open, honest, and direct. Keep me pure, Lord, and keep my integrity intact. Let me reflect YOUR love to all whom You place in my path. Let me be open to YOU. I pray this in Jesus' name, Lord. Amen.